The little guys are cinnamon-flavored candies that are hard to find 11 months of the year, and on every store shelf the other month. Nothing says romance like your mouth being on fire! [Bonus: Check out a recipe for Red Hots Cupcakes on Cupcakeblog.com.]

Red Lollipops, preferably heart-shaped, preferably with white writing on them

These are an old standby that used to come attached to Valentines. Most of the year you’d throw a crappy treat like a red lollipop away, but in February, you can’t cram enough of them into your mouth!

Sure, you can get chocolates the rest of the year, but can you get them in a heart-shaped box? Feeling that faux-satin between your fingers as you lift the lid, which inevitably will make a trumpety fart sound as it’s being opened, makes the whole experience so much more magical.